YNHH specialist riding Closer to Free for beloved coworker and friend

“I think of her very much as a mentor,” Morgan Hushion said of her coworker Jacqueline. “She really helped me over the years develop my practice in critical thinking. She is very much like my right hand at work.”

Hushion and Jacqueline, or Jac, have been together at Yale New Haven Health’s Bridgeport Hospital for eight years. The pair work together as the two full-time speech pathologists on staff. There are three others that are part-time.

“Mostly what we do in the hospital is work with people who have swallowing disorders, who are having trouble eating and drinking. We see people for language treatments after strokes or infections,” Hushion said.

The two have become so close, they spend a lot of time together outside of the hospital. Their kids even went to the same daycare.

“She’s the person I text a lot of times if I have a question about parenting, or my kids are doing something weird, or I’m worried about something, she’s kind of that person for me,” Hushion said.

Their easy friendship recently faced a sudden challenge that no one saw coming.

“Jac, this spring, was diagnosed pretty suddenly with leukemia,” Hushion said.

One of the things they enjoyed doing together over the years was the Closer to Free Ride.

“Every year that we’ve done it, in the past, I’ve always rode with Jacqueline, and we just literally ride our bikes and chat the whole time,” Hushion said.

This year the Closer to Free Ride hits closer to home.

“I think it’s going to be more emotional this year, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s going to be more emotional, so I imagine a little bit more tears,” Hushion said.

It’s a full circle moment for the Yale New Haven Health specialist who will go 25 miles in the Closer to Free Ride for her coworker.

“Knowing that we are riding past the place that’s treating her, that is doing everything they can to save her life, and to help her live out the rest of her life healthy, it’s really moving,” Hushion said.

She says she’s proud to work for YNHH, where the Closer to Free ride benefits Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital.

“I think working in a clinical role you always see things that you wish you could do more for people or resources you wish you could access, and this is one way that the hospital is able to raise funds to do that for a population that is so in need,” Hushion said.

Team members are working hard at fundraising and want to be able to make a specific contribution within the Yale cancer community. The option was introduced to teams last year. 

“I was hoping we’d raise enough money so that we could decide where the funds go to, so they’d go right to research and support of people suffering from leukemia,” Hushion said.

This year she’s riding with her husband, Jacqueline’s husband and their family and friends.

Her colleagues from Bridgeport Hospital also have a Closer to Free team that rides each year supporting the patients and providers that often crossover with New Haven.

“You’ll see providers from all different hospitals potentially riding or going to support and also patients and survivors who have been treated here, who have been treated there,” Hushion said.

She’s looking forward to the opening ceremony that she says is indescribable.

“You’re just surrounded by people who’ve been through something like what you’ve been through and it’s just a really positive community,” Hushion said.

At the end of the ride, she hopes to see her good friend and coworker at the finish.

“It makes me feel like I’m helping her in her fight. I think that when you have a loved one, a friend, a family member, that’s suddenly diagnosed with cancer, it’s very jarring, and it’s really scary and there’s a big feeling of helplessness. And you want to support your friend or family member and there’s only so much you can do,” she said.

“So I think being able to fundraise and raise money and being able to have it go to something that could potentially directly help her feels really rewarding.”